Multinationals play key leadership role

Commitment continues to grow, as more realize that there are benefits to business, experts say

The recent publication of a report on the corporate social responsibility activities of US companies over the past decade, by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, was a strong illustration of the huge influence Western companies have had, and are still having to an extent, on CSR activities in China.

The whole issue of CSR only surfaced seriously in China in the 1990s, but was initially met with skepticism by both local entrepreneurs and experts, who viewed the subject as little more than Western ideals that would do nothing but slow Chinese progress.